Ecolana, Regenera Drive Plastic Recycling in Mexico City

In Mexico City, where only 24% of collected plastic waste is recycled, innovative partnerships are making a significant impact. Ecolana, a startup specializing in recycling innovation, and Regenera, a Cemex company focused on circularity solutions, collaborated for the second time at the Flextival event. This initiative promotes waste separation, flexible plastic collection, and offers incentives to participants.

The Flextival attracted over 2,800 participants and collected more than 1.5t of plastic. Among the collected materials, plastic number 7, a mix of various plastics used in computer covers, cell phones, keyboard cases, and food packaging, was particularly notable. This type of plastic, which is non-recyclable, amounted to 368.11 kg and will be converted into alternative fuel for cement production.

The initiative not only supports recycling but also contributes to reducing carbon emissions. The collection of plastic number 7 prevented the emission of over 500kg of carbon dioxide (CO2), equivalent to the energy required for more than 67,000 cell phone charges.

Ecolana’s digital platform assists individuals in locating the nearest waste collection center, while Regenera’s solutions align with Cemex’s Futuro en Acción program, which aims for sustainability excellence through climate action, water management, and biodiversity, with the goal of achieving net-zero CO2 emissions by 2050.